Latency
Definition
The delay between an audio signal entering a digital system and its output. Caused by analog-to-digital conversion, processing, buffering, and digital-to-analog conversion. Low latency is critical for real-time monitoring during recording.
In Simple Terms
The delay between when you sing or play into the mic and when you hear it back through headphones. Lower is better. If there's a noticeable lag, reduce your audio buffer size in your DAW settings.
In Practice
A singer monitoring their voice through a DAW with high latency hears a noticeable delay between singing and the monitored signal, making natural performance impossible. Buffer size is reduced to minimize this delay.